Now-Next-Later Roadmapping

A roadmap is not a plan; it is a prototype for your strategy. Just as you prototype a feature to test design assumptions, you use a roadmap to test strategic assumptions. The goal is to shift the conversation from "When will this feature be done?" to "What problems are we solving and what are we learning?"

The Framework

Instead of a timeline on the X-axis, use three buckets based on the Cone of Uncertainty:

1. Now (High Certainty)

• Timeframe: Current work and the immediate next steps (typically the next few weeks).
• Granularity: Detailed tasks and specific solutions.
• Focus: Execution and delivery. These are things the team is actively working on or has fully refined.

2. Next (Medium Certainty)

• Timeframe: The next few months.
• Granularity: Problem statements and high-level ideas.
• Focus: Discovery and validation. You know you want to solve these problems, but you haven't committed to the exact solution yet.